Provides strategic and operational legal guidance to executives and the board; drafts and negotiates SaaS, commercial, vendor, privacy, and partnership agreements; supports sales, finance, procurement, HR, cybersecurity, M&A, financing, intellectual property, insurance, and compliance matters; manages outside counsel and builds scalable legal processes, systems, and workflows.
Novara provides safety, operational risk management, and sustainability software that empowers organizations to identify and resolve issues before they become incidents. Through the Flex and Risk Management Center platforms, Novara helps organizations manage operational risk proactively with a system they can configure to fit their operations, data that unifies risk and safety intelligence, and tools that increase workforce participation. Novara’s combination of software, training, and AI-powered tools put people and safety first while protecting critical operations.
Position Description:
Novara is seeking a dynamic and operationally-focused Senior Corporate Counsel. Reporting directly to the Chief Financial Officer (CFO), you will be the core member of the legal team with the opportunity to build a corporate legal function from the ground up, balancing strategic vision with hands-on execution. You will have the unique opportunity to define key processes and lead the legal department’s strategy. You will drive impactful, scalable growth through innovation and optimization of risk management, and championing a collaborative culture with your key stakeholders.
Experience in substantive areas such as commercial law, software licensing, professional service arrangements, intellectual property, and various business development, distribution and marketing arrangements is necessary, as well as a solid understanding of privacy law. In addition, the successful candidate will have experience with some combination of contract and related business processes, employment law, procurement, patents, insurance, and corporate finance and governance.
Responsibilities:
- Provide expert legal advice to the CEO, CFO and Board of Directors on all aspects of the business
- Draft, review and negotiate a high volume of commercial agreements, including Master Services Agreements (MSAs), SaaS agreements, order forms, SOWs, NDAs, DPAs, vendor agreements, partnership agreements and other commercial contracts
- Serve as a primary legal partner to the Sales, CS, and Finance organizations, helping move customer contracts efficiently from initial review through execution
- Develop practical negotiating positions and escalation guidelines that appropriately balance legal protection, commercial objectives and speed to close
- Partner with Finance and Sales leadership to improve contracting processes, templates, approval thresholds and contract lifecycle management
- Partner with Novara’s Information Security team to manage privacy and cybersecurity policies and practices
- Build and maintain a database of corporate documents, commercial contracts, and vendor agreements
- Review and negotiate agreements with technology providers and other vendors and support Procurement in evaluating contractual and commercial risk
- Manage relationship with outside counsel including litigation and disputes
- Lead legal due diligence and provide strategic legal advice on mergers, acquisitions, and financing
- Collaborate with HR to ensure compliance with labor and employment laws
- Continuously identify and mitigate legal and compliance risks
- Manage the company’s insurance policies, renewals and relationships
- Lead special projects to scale the Legal function and bring a legal lens to other critical cross-functional projects
- Provide pragmatic, business-minded guidance on customer and contract-related issues
- Champion continuous improvement initiatives across workflows, identifying opportunities for optimization while maintaining the highest standards of legal quality and compliance
- Assist with intellectual property matters, including trademarks, licensing and protection of Novara's proprietary technology
- Monitor relevant legal and regulatory developments affecting Novara and the SaaS industry
- Foster organizational alignment by developing valuable networks through clear communication and delivered value, bringing together internal resources to improve company-wide execution
Knowledge, Experience, Requirements:
- Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited U.S. law school and currently admitted and in good standing with a state bar in any jurisdiction
- 5+ years of legal experience at law firms or in-house with progressive experience in legal operations
- 3+ years of experience drafting, reviewing, and negotiating commercial contracts in a sophisticated environment
- Experience providing legal advice to high-growth software companies, preferably within a SaaS environment
- Strong negotiation, drafting, and management skills for commercial contracts
- Experience in managing privacy and cybersecurity policies
- Strong analytical and quantitative skills as well as attention to detail
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills with equally good listening, team leadership and excellence in execution
- Highly motivated with a mature and positive attitude, a passion for service and strong business acumen
- Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work in a collaborative team environment
- Positive attitude and a team player
Compensation:
Annual Base Salary Range of 160k-180k
Annual Bonus Opportunity of 15%
As a growing company, Novara values its employees by supporting them with a full benefits package including Medical, Dental, Vision, Flexible Spending Accounts, PTO, Paid and Floating Holidays, 401k with Company match and immediate vesting, Company-funded Life Insurance, Employee Assistance Programs, and No-cost Mental Health Benefits.
About Novara
Novara provides safety and operational risk management software that empowers organizations to identify and resolve issues before they become incidents. Through the Flex and Risk Management Center platforms, Novara helps organizations address operational risk proactively by unifying data, increasing workforce engagement, and proactively managing risk. Novara’s combination of training, software, and tools puts people and safety first while protecting critical operations.
Novara, a Providence Equity portfolio company, provides safety and operational risk management software that empowers organizations to identify and resolve issues before they become incidents. Through the Flex and Risk Management Center platforms, Novara helps organizations address operational risk proactively by unifying data, increasing workforce engagement, and proactively managing risk. Novara’s combination of training, software, and tools puts people and safety first while protecting critical operations.
Novara launched January 1 2026, as an independent company, a spin-off of the Flex and RMC software businesses formerly part of KPA.
Don’t meet every job requirement? At Novara, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace. Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply unless they meet every requirement. If you’re excited about the role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification, we still encourage you to apply! You might just be the right candidate for this or other roles.
Please note that we may use AI tools to assist in the initial screening of resumes to help identify qualified candidates more efficiently. All decisions are reviewed by a human recruiter, and no hiring determination is made solely by automated means.
Novara is committed to providing equal opportunity in all of our employment practices, including selection, hiring, promotion, transfer, and compensation, to all qualified applicants and employees without regard to race, religion, religious dress/grooming, color, ethnicity, sex (including sex stereotyping), sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, creed, uniform service member status, military or veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, breast-feeding and/or pregnancy-related conditions, age, protected medical condition, leave status, physical or mental disability, genetic characteristics, or any other legally-protected status in accordance with the requirements of all federal, state and local laws. In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification document form upon hire.
If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at [email protected].
Please see our Candidate Privacy Notice Included Here
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What you need to know about the Chicago Tech Scene
With vibrant neighborhoods, great food and more affordable housing than either coast, Chicago might be the most liveable major tech hub. It is the birthplace of modern commodities and futures trading, a national hub for logistics and commerce, and home to the American Medical Association and the American Bar Association. This diverse blend of industry influences has helped Chicago emerge as a major player in verticals like fintech, biotechnology, legal tech, e-commerce and logistics technology. It’s also a major hiring center for tech companies on both coasts.
Key Facts About Chicago Tech
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